Transportable dynamite magazine



V 1,625,491 Apnl 19,1927. G. M NORMAN TRANSPORTABLE DYNAMITE MAGAZINE Filed Sept. 29, 1925 O llllI/II/I/// 'fI/IIIIIIIIIIII/n I IIIIIIIIIIll/A VIIIII/IIIIIIIIIA VIIIII/IIIIIIIIA 0 F/G I.

\l I] v' W/r V Gearye Mrwzan 'AIIVRAIEVJ. I

Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

1 UNITED STATES 1,625,491 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE M. NORMAN, OI WILMINGTON, DELAVTARE, ASSIGNQR T HERCULES, POWDER i COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TRANSPOBTABLE DYNAMITE MAGAZINE.

Application filed September 29, 1825. Serial No. 59,376.

In the shipment of dynamite by railroad, every precaution must be taken to insure safety. Moreover, the discretion allowed to the manufacturer and shipper is quite 5 limited, as all methods of shipment must be specifically approved by that bureau of the Federal Government who, under Federal laws, are charged with the oversight and control of interstate transportation of ex- 0 plosives.

Known containers for explosives are composed of corrugated fibre and are suificiently strong for truck shipment, but fibre boxes or cases for dynamite are not approved for shipment by rail in carload lots, as they are not deemed to have the necessary strength to stand the required test. The wooden boxes that are approved are, however, very expensive and their cost tends to continually increase.

If some means could be devised for utilizing. fibre as containers for dynamite that would be approved by the Federal authorities the saving in cost of shipment would be very substantial. The cost of fibre boxes would be scarcely more than one-third the cost of wooden boxes, no lining of paper would be required, and the weight of a fibre box of given size being only about onefourth the weight of a wooden box, the saving in freight would be material. Another material saving'would be the elimination of the cost of dunnage lumber,-the labor of installing, and the freight on the same.

The object of my invention is to provide containers for dynamite, composed partly of wood or equally strong material and partly of fibre, especially adapted to the shipment of dynamite in carload lots. The main container body comprises the body of the car itself, the car being divided, by means of permanent or removable divisional or partitioning means, into compartments or receptacles, each compartment or receptacle being occupied by a plurality of unit dynamite-containers which occupy substantially the entire volume of the compartments, so as to prevent displacement, shifting or collapse of the units relatively to the partitions and the main container or car body. By means of the described arrangement, the receptacles for the dynamite are of a staunchness superior to that of the ordinary wooden case or box, but differ therefrom in two particulars: one in that in place of betacle ing filled solely by the explosive, they are filled with the explosive contained within multiple unit containers of fibre; and the other in that the receptacles-are a permanent part of the car equipment and may therefore be used for an indefinite number of shipments. While the cost of providing a car with multiple receptacles and of providing multiple sub-containers-of fibre may be com parable with the cost of a carload of wooden boxes or cases of ordinary construction, a substantial part of that cost is not recurrent; the only recurrent cost being the cost of the fibre containers.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in

which-- Fig. 1 is a plan view of the interior of a car body embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the car body, shown diagrammatically. I

Inserted in the car a, either in fixed or slidable relation thereto, are transverse walls I) which-may be regarded as partitions, but which, in the-present case, form the side walls of a number of dynamite receptacles 0 whose end walls are formed by the sides of the car body. These partitions should be stiff and staunch material, being preferably of wood of, say, a thickness of three and one-half inches. The partitions should, extend practically entirely across the car body and should be of a height substantially less than that of the car body, so as to allow access to the receptacles from above. Within each receptacle are a number of unit dynamite-containers d, each composed of corrugated fibre. The dimensions of each unit are such that its measurement in one direction, preferably lengthwise, is substantially equal to the width (measuring longitudinally of the car) of the receptacle, or preferably, is equal to substantially onehalf or one-third of the width of the receptacle; so that when the units are packed Within the receptacle, they substantially fill it, so far, at least, as the horizontal dimensions of the receptacles are concerned. For example, the internal width of each recepmay be approximately thirt -six inches, while the fibre unit containers may be 17 x 12 x 8". Fibre unit containers of such dimensions may be laid within the receptacles so that two of them, extending lengthwise, will substantially span the space between the opposite partitioning Walls I). A set of unit containers may be arranged on the same level to form two rows and the containers may be stacked (say) six high and form six tiers of double rows of units.

In the construction described. there can be no substantially shitting or displacement: of the load in the car, and hence no serious crushing strains will be imposed upon the unit containers, such crushingstrains being taken and resisted by the walls Z), which are even better able to Withstand such strain than the. movable Weaker wooden cases or boxes in which dynamite is now packed for rail shipment.

By means of the foregoing construction, it becomes practicable and economical for the companies engaged in shipping dynamite to build and own their own cars, Which would be used for the shipmeiit oi dynamite to distributing; magazines or to the magic zines oi carload customers.

Where, in the claims, I s alt oi Walls in rigid relation to the car body, I refer to the conditions in actual use and do not mean to exclude Walls which, While lifted in use, may be removable. to convert the car to other USPS.

lilaving now fully des-ribed my invention, What i claim and desire to protect by .[Atttlfi Patent is:

t. A em for transporting dynamite by rail comprising a car haying a body, trans- \"ersely extending rigid walls of relatively strong material dividing the car body space into a multiplicity oi lined transversely ea;- tt-inding dynamite-containing receptacles,

and a multiplicity of separate unit contain ers of relatively weak material in each receptacle, each unit container holding a frat-,- tional part: oi the dynamite in its receptacle and the unit containers in each i'i-areptacle being of such size and number as to sub st-antially [ill the entire longitudinal dimensions of such receptacle to prevent shifting of the containers.

A system for transporting dynamite by rail comprising a car having a body with a root, transversely extending rigid vertical walls extending upward from the floor of the car body and being, oi less height than the car body, said Walls being" oi. relatively strong material dividing the car body into a multiplicity of dynaniite-containing receptacles each bounded at opposite ends by the car body walls and at opposite sides by a pair oi said alls or by one of said Walls and an end Wall of the car body, said receptacles being closed at the bottom by the floor or the car body and open at the top, there being a free space between the tops of the partitions and the roof of the car so that access may be had to any of the receptacica, and a multiplicity of separate unit containers of relatively weak material, each unit container holding a fractional part ot the dynamite in its receptacle, the unit conminers in each rccc 'itacle being of such size and number as to occupy substantially the. entire longitudinal dimensions of Such receptaclcs.

3. The method of shipping dynamite, comprising dividing the floor space of a freight car into compartments of predetermined arai, packing the dynamite in relntively weal; containers whose two dimensions are traclional parts of the compartments and stacking the containers in the conipartments to completely cover the floor of each loaded compartment and thereby prevent shitting of the containers.

in testimony of which invention, l have hereunto set my hand, at \Vilmington, Dela-- ware, on this 25th day of blepten'iber, 1925.

GEORGE M. NORMAN. 

